Equipment to prevent injury during a parachutist{3 s landing

ABSTRACT

A landing-float pad for parachutists which is worn deflated and folded as an overshoe on the right-foot boot before and when jumping and is inflated before landing. Made of fabric and rubber, it is held in folded condition by magnets. It is inflated by air released from a compressed-air container by pressure of the left foot. The pad serves as a cushion when falling to the ground and as a float when falling in water.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Henry Doherty 19 B Byrne Court,Wayne, NJ. 07470 [21 Appl. No. 884,573 [22] Filed Dec. 12, 1969 [45Patented Aug. 31, 1971 [54] EQUIPMENT TO PREVENT INJURY DURING APARACHUTISTS LANDING 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

52 11.5. CI 9/316, 36/7.5 [51] lnt.Cl B63c 9/18 [50] Field oi Search9/340, 329, 31 l, 316; 3612.5 AA, 7.5, 29

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,469,969 5/1949 Lee 36/29 X2,519,458 8/1950 Hall 36/75 2,932,910 4/1960 Brown 36/7.6 X

2,968,105 l/i96l Rizzo.... 36/29 X 3,423,852 l/I969 Smith 36/75 IFOREIGN PATENTS 1,158,897 6/1958 France 36/29 Primary Examiner-MiltonBuchler Assistant Examiner-Paul E. Sauberer ABSTRACT: A landing-floatpad for parachutists which is worn deflated and folded as an overshoe onthe right-foot boot before and when jumping and is inflated beforelanding. Made of fabric and rubber, it is held in folded condition bymagnets. It is inflated by air released from a compressed-air containerby pressure of the left foot. The pad serves as a cushion when fallingto the ground and as a float when falling in water.

EQUIPMENT TO PREVENT INJURY DURING A PARACIIUTISTS LANDING Thisinvention relates to the impact of landing by a parachutist andparticularly'to a landing float pad which-is worn on the right-foot bootof a parachutist.

Parachutists of ten suffer severe shock, dislocations, sprains andbroken bones on landing. Sometimes they are killed by the violent forceof their landing or drowned in water. Inadvertently, they must land onsharp rocks, in trees or in deep or turbulent water. 7 v

It is a primary object of this invention to cushion the severe shock ofimpact when a parachutist lands.

It is a further object of this invention to protect th parachutist fromsharp rocks or the branches of trees in the event of landing in badterrain or in woods.

Another object of this invention is to provide an aquatic life saver,keeping the parachutist afloat if he should land in deep water.

Briefly, this invention is a Parachutist Landing- Float Pad which isworn before and at the time of jumping in a folded position and by meansof an overshoe on the right-foot boot of a parachutist. It is inflatedto cushion the impact of landing at any time after jumping and beforelanding by releasing compressed air from a container by pressing down onit by the free left foot. The pad is inflated to a trapezohedral-shapedcushion providing a foot rest for the left foot, which is free to kickthe pad off from its attachment to the right-foot boot after landing.The inflated pad also can serve as an aquatic life saver, having sidestraps that the parachutist can hold onto if he should land in water. Ifthe pad has not been punctured or otherwise damaged in landing, it canbe used over again by replacing the spent compressed-air container witha fresh one.

It is intended that the pad, inflated to /1 pounds pressure to cushionthe average weight of parachutists, will depress vertically and expandlaterally enough under the impact .of landing which illustrate severalembodiments of the invention dia grammatically by way of example, andwith illustrative rather than any limitative intent. In the drawing:

FIG. I is a drawing of the landing-float pad showing it inflated as itwould be at the time of landing.

FIG. 2 is a drawing of the landing-float pad before inflation,

folded and worn by means of its overshoe on the right-foot boot of aparachutist.

FIG. 3 is a drawing of the deflated and folded landing-float pad showingthe compressed-air container separated from the air inlet stem.

FIG. 4 is a drawing of the bottomside of the deflated landing-float padshowing the first step in folding it and the location of magnetizedholding plates.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like elements are denoted byidentical reference numerals, and first to FIG. 1, the landing-float padhas a six-sided housing 10, tapered toward front and rear. The pad ismade of rubber, or with .a tough, air-sealed fabric top and bottom withexpandable rubber sides, as light in weight as consistent withsufficient strength and elasticity to withstand the impact of a heavylahding without rupturing. It is 21 inches from front to rear edges, 18inches wide at toe front, 14 inches wide at heel rear, and 6 incheshigh.

A rubber overshoe 11, similar to a rubber worn on a con ventional shoein wet weather, is vulcanized to the pad slightly right offcenter. Theovershoe is for the right foot and is made in several sizes in order tofit varying foot sizes snugly but not to shed the overshoe with thelanding-float pad from the rightfoot boot. V

Alongside the overshoe 11, to itsleft, is a roughened, reinforced area13 for the left foot of the parachutist to be placed in a free positionat time of landing. When the pad is worn folded around the overshoe 11before inflation, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, this area 13 acts as a soleto the overshoe ll on the right-foot boot.

Long nylon straps 14 are attached to the'right and left sides of thelanding-float pad, one strap on each side. The strap on the left side isshown in FIG. I. In the event of landing in deep or rough water,theparachutist can cling to the floating pad by these straps to save hislife from drowning.

The landing-float pad is inflated by means of a threaded steel stem 15imbedded in front-top of the pad and a compressed-air containerl6screwed to this stem, shown variously in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. When thelanding-float pad is folded, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, thecompressed-air container l6 attached to the airinlet stem 15 is locatedforward of the arch of the right foot. The stem and container 16 areshown separated in FIG. 3. The stem 15, similar to that on a bicycletire, but without inside threads and a valve, is mounted on the cornersof a square spring plate and houses a hollow steel point independentlymounted on the rigid bottom center of the spring plate to puncture theseal of the compressed-air container, releasing the air into the padinstantly. The steel point is made to puncture the seal when theparachutist presses down on the 3-inch-wide flat top of the containerwith his free left foot.

Shown in FIG. 1, two magnetized steel blocks 17 are mates to twononmagnetized steel blocks 18. The two magnetized steel blocks 17 areshown imbedded in the left side edge of the pad and the twononmagnetized blocks 18 are shown imbedded, one on the toe front of theovershoe l1 and the other on the heel rear of the overshoe. Attractedtogether, they hold the landing-floatpad folded around the overshoebefore the pads inflation. The magnetized steel blocks are charged tothat degree to relinquish their hold whenthe air pressure in the-padreaches less than 1 pound, or approximately 50 percent less than thefull pressure attained in the'pad.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 the two magnetized steel blocks l7 are shown in theirpositions held by attraction to the nonmagnetized steel blocks 18 on thefolded pad.

The deflated landing-float pad is folded around the overshoe 11 before.the overshoe is slipped on to the parachutists right-foot boot. Themethod of folding the deflated landingsfloat pad around the overshoe,"shown completed in FIGS. 2 and 3, is first to turn inward and bottomwardthe extensions beyond the toe and heel 'of the overshoe, as shown inFIG. 4. These folds are each held in place by two magnetized steelblocks 19, attached to both the toe and heel inward folded edges, makingcontact withnonmagnetized blocks 20, shown in FIG. 4. Next, the deflatedpad is wrapped from the left underneath the overshoe so that thereinforced area for the left-foot boot at time of landing becomes thesole for the right-foot boot. The compressed-air container 16 screwed toits air inlet stem 15 becomes locatedforward of the arch of the overshoeand the magnetized blocks 17 meet the nonmagnetized blocks 18, therebyholding the pad in its folded position.

The invention is susceptible of modifications and changes in detail. Forexample, the landing-float pad could be made larger as a boon toparachutists in the armed forces, carrying the added weight of fightingequipment. By using compressedair containers holding different pressuresfor different weights of parachutists, the pad could be inflated to holdmore or less than 1% pounds of air pressure. It could be inflated withhydrogen or helium to make it lighter. Also, it could be adapted toskids holding supplies and equipment, having a timing device to releasethe compressed air into the landingfloat pad after the skid has beenjettisoned from the cargo plane.

I'wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to theexact details of construction, design and operation shown and describedherein, as modifications within the scope of the appended claims whichdo not involve a departure from the spirit of the invention nor asacrifice of any of the advantages thereof, may occur to workers in thisfield.

I claim:

1. A landing-float pad for a parachutist which is carried in a deflatedprejump position folded around an overshoe worn on the right-foot bootand can be inflated after the parachutist has jumped and before landing.

2. A landing-float pad for a parachutist which is carried in a deflatedprejump position folded around an overshoe worn on I the right-foot bootand can be inflated after the parachutist has jumped and before landing,said pad having magnetized steel blocks attracted to nonmagnetizedblocks, thereby holding the pad in its folded prejump position aroundsaid overshoe worn on the right-foot boot.

3. A landing-float pad for a parachutist which is carried in a deflatedprejump position folded around an overshoe worn on the right-foot bootand can be inflated after the parachutist has jumped and before landing,said pad having an assembly of an air inlet stem with a hollow point topierce the seal of a compressed-air container by pressing down on saidcontainer by the left foot in order to inflate the said pad beforelanding.

4. A landing-float pad for a parachutist which is carried in a deflatedprejump position folded around an overshoe worn on the right-foot'bootand can be inflated after the parachutist has jumped and before landing,said pad having a roughened, reinforced area serving as a placement forthe left foot at the time of landing and said area also sewing as thesole for the right-foot boot when the pad is in its deflated and foldedprejump position.

5. A landing-float pad for a parachutist which is carried in a deflatedprejump position folded around an overshoe worn on the right-foot bootand can be inflated after the parachutist has jumped and before landing,said pad having on its said overshoe a large, hard spur above the heelby pressing down on which the left foot can shed the pad from theright-foot boot.

6. A landing-float pad for a parachutist which is carried in a deflatedprejump position folded around an overshoe worn on the right-foot bootand can be inflated after the parachutists has jumped and beforelanding, said pad having side straps tobe clung to by a parachutistafter said pads inflation and if he should land in deep water.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,601Dated August 31, 1971 Inventcn-(s) Henry erty It is certified that errorappears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent arehereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 35, "inflated to 1/2 pounds pressure" should readinflated to l l/2 pounds pressure Signed and sealed this 25th day ofJul) 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents 1M PC4050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC GUSTO-POD U.Sl GOVERNMENYPRINTING OFFICE: 19.9 D-JiB-SL

1. A landing-float pad for a parachutist which is carried in a deflatedprejump position folded around an overshoe worn on the right-foot bootand can be inflated after the parachutist has jumped and before landing.2. A landing-float pad for a parachutist which is carried in a deflatedprejump position folded around an overshoe worn on the right-foot bootand can be inflated after the parachutist has jumped and before landing,said pad having magnetized steel blocks attracted to nonmagnetizedblocks, thereby holding the pad in its folded prejump position aroundsaid overshoe worn on the right-foot boot.
 3. A landing-float pad for aparachutist which is carried in a deflated prejump position foldedaround an overshoe worn on the right-foot boot and can be inflated afterthe parachutist has jumped and before landing, said pad having anassembly of an air inlet stem with a hollow point to pierce the seal ofa compressed-air container by pressing down on said container by theleft foot in order to inflate the said pad before landing.
 4. Alanding-float pad for a parachutist which is carried in a deflatedprejump position folded around an overshoe worn on the right-foot bootand can be inflated after the parachutist has jumped and before landing,said pad having a roughened, reinforced area serving as a placement forthe left foot at the time of landing and said area also serving as thesole for the right-foot boot when the pad is in its deflated and foldedprejump position.
 5. A landing-float pad for a parachutist which iscarried in a deflated prejump position folded around an overshoe worn onthe right-foot boot and can be inflated after the parachutist has jumpedand before landing, said pad having on its said overshoe a large, hardspur above the heel by pressing down on which the left foot can shed thepad from the right-foot boot.
 6. A landing-float pad for a parachutistwhich is carried in a deflated prejump position folded around anovershoe worn on the right-foot boot and can be inflated after theparachutists has jumped and before landing, said pad having side strapsto be clung to by a parachutist after said pad''s inflation and if heshould land in deep water.